Nail-driving machine



' (No Model.)

I. IOWLNR. NAIL DRIVING MACHINE.

mill

f IIINTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THADDEUs rowLEn, on sHnLToN, Assrelvon on ONE-HALF rro THOMAS B.

' DE FOREST, OF BIRMINGHAM, CONNECTICUT.

NAIL-DRIVING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 355,762, dated January 11l 1887.

Appliootion lod september 24, 1886. soi-iol No. 214,421. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom, iz? may concern: i

Be itknown that I, IHADDEUs FowLnR, a citizen of the United States, residing at Shelton, 'in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Nail-Driving-Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the inven-` tion, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. l

My invention relates to certain new and usefnl improvements in machines for driving nails, but more especially such nails as are shown and described in Letters Patent of the United States No. 341,413, granted to me the 4th day of May, 1886.

The object of my invent-ion is to provide a Simple aan portable dovioo which will bo adapted to contain a coil of the nails above referred to, and which will successively drive and cut them off, while at the saine time thev operator may plainly see the exact spot where he desires to place the nail, and may drive the same with accuracy; and with these ends in view my invention consists in the details of construction hereinafter fully explained, and

then recited in the claims.

, position of the parts after a nail has been driven and cut off; Fig. 3, an enlarged detail of the Y driving and severing devices; and Fig.' 4,asec

tion ofthe nail-holding reel,which appears in plan view at Figs. l and 2.'

Similar' letters denote'like parts in all the igures of the drawillgs.

A is the hollow case, which has an opening, B, near its top, to form a suitable handhold. y

C is a hub, preferably of thin sheet metal, secured around the edge of the opening B, and D is a reel which its within the case and turns against any withdrawal uponthe hub. I prefer to make the reel of two parts fitted together, as shown at Fig. 4, since nailsin merchantable coils maybe placed upon one of the detached parts and there retained by putting on the other part, when the reel and coil are ready to be placed in the case.

E is a guide-plate, rigidly secured in the case and extending from its lower extremity vertically upward, as shown in the drawings.

F is the sliding cut-od bar, which lies alongside the guide-plate, as seen at' Fig. l, when at rest. It is narrowed backward from its extremity, for the purpose presently explained.

G is a spring coiled about a post, H, within the case, and its end through a link, I, is connected to the cut-oft' bar, upon which it exerts a constant downward pressure.

.J is a detent-spring securedto a post in the case, which post also serves as a bearing for the upper end of the cut-off bar. Saidv detent-spring holds the length of nails as vlees.

K is the feed spring, whose function, as will presently appear, is to successively draw down the nails from the coil and place them in properengagelnent with the driver I1, which is a small inward projection at the lower extremity or nose of the case, and which engages the head ofthe lowest nail upon one side thereof,while the feed-spring engages it upon the other, as is shown at Fig. 1.

M is a guide-rib,between which and the side from the driving def wall of the case the length of nails passes to the driving mechanism.

The operation of my improvement is as follows: In Fig. l the lowest nail is shown with its head in engagement with the driver, and with its body and point lying alongside the backwardly-inclined end of the spring-actuated cut-off bar. Asthe nail is in no way inclosed or hidden from sight, the operator may place it for driving with great accuracy. In

- the driving the case is pressed or driven down-,

ward, which forces the nail into the wood and at the same time forces the cut-off bar backward within the case. As it thus moves backward, its inclined edges, by their contact with the end of the guide-plate and nail, crowd the latter against the driver, and thereby severs IOS . driver as the cuto bar is returned out of the case by its spring. Y Y

. I tind the construction hereinbefore described to be very convenient and exceedingly advantageous for the following reasons: First, it is exceedingly simple and contains practically but one moving part; second, the reel turning freely upon the hub causes the nails to be very easily pulled down to the driver; third, in adjusting a fresh coil of nails they are very readily placed in position on the reel 5 fourth, in engaging the length of nails with the driving mechanism they do not have to be introduced through any guideway or eyes.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. The combination, inadevice of the character described, with the case arranged to hold a coil of nails, ofthe stationary driver secured .-upon the nose of said case, the spring-actuated cut-off bar adapted to slide in and out of said case, and the feed-spring secured upon and adapted to move with the cut-oif bar, substantially as set forth.

2. In anail-driving machine, the hollow ease having an opening therethrough near its top t0 serve as a hand-hold and the hub surrounding said opening, in combination with the reel arranged within the case and adapted to turn upon the hub, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, with the nail feeding, driving, and severing devices, of the case having the opening at its top and the reel arranged and adapted to turn within the case, as and for the purpose set forth.

4. The combination, with Vthe stationary driver, as described, of the springactuated cut-off bar arranged to slide inl and out of the case and inclined backward from its lower extremity, the guide-plate against which said bar normally rests, the feed-spring secured to and'carried by the cut-off bar, and the detentspring whereby the nails are secured as against retraction, all arranged as described, and for the purpose set forth.

5. In a naildriving machine, the combination, with the nail delivery and cut-oil', of the case having an opening therethrough to serve as ahand-hold, the hub around the opening, and the twopart separable reel arranged to turn upon the hub, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

6. The hollow case provided with the open ing for a hand-hold, and the hub and reel arranged to turn upon the hub, in combination with the stationary driver secured upon the nose of the case, the spring-actuated cut-off bar inclined backward from its point, and the feed-spring secured'to and adapted to move with the cut-oft' bar, substantially as described.

7. The combination of the case and the reel arranged to turn therein with the stationary driver, the stationary guide-plate extending up within the case from the nose thereof, the reciprocating cut-oli` bar arranged to slide againstA the guide-plate, the feed-spring secured'toand carried by the cut-oft' bar, the`detent-spring and the spiral spring connected to the cnt-off bar and adapted to throw the same without the case, substantially as set forth.

8.- The combination. withthe driver, of the springactuated cut-oft` bar whose extremityis inclined backward, the stationary guide-plate against which the cut-'oft' bar lies and whereby it is deflected during'its backward movement, and the feed-spring secured to the cut-off bar.

In testimony whereof I aix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

THADDEUS FOWLER.

Witnesses:

HENRY S. DE FOREST, D. JOSEPH FOLEY. 

